Lincoln Academy Students Simon Fraser, Jackson Ross, Jillian Chadwick and Logan Plummer listen to Alex Zipparo during a tour of Rising Tide.
A group of Lincoln Academy students recently visited Rising Tide Co-op as part of their Exploring the World of Work class. The purpose of the visit was to give students a chance to learn about the various roles at Rising Tide and to understand how the business operates.
When the group arrived they were welcomed by Alex Zipparo, Communications and Engagement Human for Rising Tide who brought the class to picnic tables outside the store where they provided an overview of Rising Tide before the tour began.
During this orientation the class was given a warm welcome by Heather Burt, General Manager and Shannon Bailey, Marketing Manager.
“We met the mother of Violet Bailey, our classmate, who started out as a cashier 5 years ago, now does all of the marketing, and she was very nice,” recalled Jillian Chadwick, Lincoln Class of 2024.
On the picnic tables were snacks of local carrots from Goranson’s farm and a selection of cheeses. “The cheese was rather exquisite,” said Simon Fraser Lincoln Class of 2024.
While on a walking tour of the store, the class met with many employees hard at work. When asked what they enjoyed most about working at Rising Tide, the answers varied but many focused on the positive environment, great people and helping customers. The class also went into the stockroom and met employees with a wide variety of interesting backgrounds including Judy, who has worked on bridges and has been a nurse. Lincoln Ball, Class of 2024 said ““On Wednesdays they get a bunch of shipments – it was a busy day there”.
“It was interesting to meet so many different people who work there,” said Jackson Ross, Lincoln Class of 2024. “We also met Carol, who, along with other jobs, is responsible for doing much of the grocery buying.”
“I thought that it was interesting that they were giving business to so many different companies, I think it was 300, and there were at least 40 that are from the MidCoast region,” says Lincoln Ball. One of those companies has a close connection to a student in the class. “It turns out that we know Lee Straw very well. He’s right in Newcastle and sells his milk to Rising Tide. He’s a nice guy and super awesome,” says Katherine Knapp, Lincoln Class of 2021.
“A bunch of different people can own a part of Rising Tide and if they get a lot of sales they can get a share of it,” noted Simon Fraser, reflecting on his understanding of the way Rising Tide operates as a Co-op.
This article was written by Lincoln Academy’s Exploring the World of Work Class as part of a class project.
